Kisame eased Itachi on the bed in her room and retreated. Suri took off her cloak and looked at Itachi. She sighed heavily and quickly undressed the dark-haired man. *I wish I was doing this in more pleasant circumstances.* she thought, but brushed off the weird idea. She examined his body and the areas of the wounds. Although the bleeding had stopped, the wounds themselves were deadly; the blast managed to damage a number of internal organs. She swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling tears moisten her eyes. It was her fault that he in that state, she had to heal him. She had to. Suri pulled up her sleeves and started the preparations.

Kisame popped into the room to check if she needed any help and she hastily gave him directions of what needed to be done on his part. A bucket with hot water was already ready; she poured two colourless liquids inside and stirred. She took a piece of clean cloth and dipped it in the water, burning her hands slightly in process. She carefully washed the blood from Itachi's body revealing a large scab across his chest. The girl brought her hands over. Her lips moved fast, whispering healing jutsu; Suri's fingers trailed over the scab, pressing on it from time to time. Her energy slowly flowed into Itachi's body. After some time, she removed her hands and collapsed beside him.

She was exhausted. Excessive chakra transfer was the first step of his healing; it was draining, but Suri knew that if she needed to, she would give all of it, just to save his life. She felt ridiculous. Exhaustion took over, she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep. Someone walked into the room and she felt something warm cover her body. Suri shifted, but did not open her eyes. She couldn't see the person, but she was grateful for the consideration they showed.


When Suri woke up Itachi was still unconscious; she pulled the blanket over his body and got up, yawning. She looked around. The room was a mess: there were bloody cloths, Itachi's dirty clothes, paper towels and just towels all covered in dirt and blood. Suri's eyes travelled to Itachi's face. He was pale, almost white, yet his face looked more peaceful than she had ever seen it. Suri sighed in relief; the first step of the healing process was complete. Not wasting any more time, she started cleaning. Her patient required hygienic environment and she was not going to have it any other way. Very quickly everything started disappearing from the floor and soon the room became sparkling clean. Suri rubbed her hands together looking around at her work. She was pleased. Someone knocked at the door and opened it. Kisame poked his face in the room.

"How is he?" the blue man asked nodding at his partner. They both walked to the bed and looked down at Itachi.

"He will live." Suri replied. "I've started the process of healing his internals. It's going slowly, but at least it's going. In his case it is even slower because," she stopped herself. She almost told Kisame about Itachi taking his medication.

"Because?" he pressed looking at her.

Suri cleared her throat. "Because his immune system is weak." She lied smiling lightly. The blue man nodded and sighed.

"The leader wants him recovered as soon as possible." He stated.

"I know. But I told him, I need at least a week for him to heal, or he'll die."

They looked at each other then back at the man with jet black hair that was messily spread over the pillow.

"How are you?" Kisame finally asked. She knew what he was hinting at.

"I'll live." She replied. "Kisame, would you do me a favour?" she asked sweetly, giving one of her pleading smiles, which always helped her to get away with things. Kisame nodded. Suri quickly walked over to him and handed him a list. "These are the things I need; can you please get them for me as soon as possible? I'm afraid if I ask Kakuzu for more money, he will sacrifice me to Hidan." Kisame chuckled and looked at the list.

"10 rolls of bandages, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Schisandra chinensis, Gynostemma pentaphyllum, tea tree herbs, dried chamomiles, set of hypodermic syringes, five 100ml syringes, fifteen 50ml vials, three sundry jars..." Kisame looked up at the girl with a bemused expression. "Damn, are you planning to open a drug store here?" She chuckled lightly and pushed her hair out of her face.

"No, but I am planning on making drugs," She winked with a chuckle. Kisame grinned and rubbed the back of his neck.

"You love him that much, huh?" Kisame smiled sadly and for the first time Suri realised that the blue man had feelings for her.

"It's not about love, Kisame," she said gently touching his arm. "I would do it for anyone who needed my help."

Kisame nodded. "When do you need these?" he finally asked, waving the list in the air.

"As soon as possible."

"I'll get them today."

Kisame ruffled her hair and walked out of the room. Suri sighed leaning on the wall. She never realised that Kisame had feelings for her. If she did...if she knew, she would never get close to him. She smacked her forehead in frustration. Her cluelessness irritated her. Suri swallowed, pursing her lips. She had no reason to think that way; Kisame never gave her a reason to doubt him and she was not about to. Suri kneeled beside Itachi and pulled down the blanket, studying his scab. It was slowly fading away, which was a good sign.

"Finally, I can examine what that medication was for," she mumbled under her breath, as she leaned in and gently pressed her head to his chest. She closed her eyes and listened to his body. His heartbeat was slow but steady. It sounded so peaceful and calming, it made Suri yawn. She removed her hands from his chest and looked at his face. He was truly a handsome man, and that time she could not control herself. Suri leaned in and pressed her lips to his in a quick but gentle kiss. They were tender and soft. Suri was about to pull away when she felt a hand press her head down crashing her lips more into Itachi's. Her eyes widened as she stared at the man beneath her. His eyes were still closed but he was awake. He moved his lips against hers, caressing gently with his tongue, nibbling and sucking in process. Suri pulled away catching her breath. Itachi opened his eyes and looked at her.

"So, this is what you do to unconscious people you treat?" his voice sounded deeper than usual, sending all sorts of electrical discharges through her body. Suri blushed and looked down, allowing her hair to cover the redness of her face.

"No! I just...I..." she mumbled trying to think of one good reason.

"Why don't you work on your story." Itachi suggested. Suri blushed deeper and did not reply. The room was silent for a couple of minutes before he spoke again.

"You saved my life." He stated coolly. "I'm grateful."

The girl looked away, still unsure of how to face him. He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and turned her face slightly to face him. His piercing eyes were boring into her, making the girl more and more uncomfortable with the situation. She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, acknowledging his words.